[Noozhawk’s note: Second in a series. Click here for the first part.]
They let the dogs out again at The Fisher House, a fully licensed Residential-Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) in Santa Barbara. Actually, Tula, Spirit and Baby are resident “therapists.”
The three dogs mingle with the residents of The Fisher House in well-established interaction know as pet therapy. Pet therapy was established in the mid-1970s in community programs that bring animals and people together for companionship and therapy, and has grown and progressed rapidly.
Spirit and Tula are border terriers, and Baby (who came with a Fisher House resident) is a mixed breed. All incoming residents of The Fisher House are encouraged to bring their pets with them to their new home. After Baby’s resident moved on, the dog stayed to entertain the other residents.
At The Fisher House, pet therapy involves human and animal interaction. Because of the numerous health benefits of pet therapy, The Fisher House along with other assisted-living facilities, nursing homes and other residential care facilities are including pet therapy in their senior care programs. The facilities utilize trained animals such as Tula, Spirit and Baby to promote health and healing for the residents, including seniors who are depressed, chronically ill or have disabilities.
The pets at The Fisher House used for pet therapy treatment provide affectionate and unconditional love to residents, making an excellent supplemental treatment. For seniors who suffer depression, pet therapy can be beneficial as it can help them forget about their problems even for a short period of time. At The Fisher House, Tula, Spirit and Baby, through their interaction with the residents, help them gain confidence as they begin to feel useful again, thus improving seniors’ quality of life.
The Fisher House, 2324 Chapala St. in Santa Barbara, is open to seniors age 62 or older who are unable to live by themselves but don’t need 24-hour nursing care. The Fisher House has incorporated pet therapy into its daily routine since it opened more than 14 years ago.
What will be the future for pet therapy? Perhaps “Paro” a robot specially designed to provide comfort and companionship to the elderly. Paro is cute and cuddly with soft white fur, big bright eyes and resembles a baby harp seal, or could be mistaken for a stuffed animal toy.
Paro is no plaything. It is a robot specially designed to provide comfort and companionship to the elderly. And the crazy thing is, tests so far to date suggest that it works! Paro — designed by Paro Robots U.S. Inc. in Illinois and available for a mere $6,000 — is built to act and feel like a real pet. Although not a real harp seal, it likes being fussed with and petted by humans. For now, though, The Fisher House is content to have its three “real” therapy pets.
For more information on The Fisher House or its pet therapy program, click here or contact Efale McFarland at 805.687.4646 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to arrange an appointment.
— John Conroy is a contributing writer and photographer for Noozhawk. See more of his photography at www.johnconroyimages.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk or @NoozhawkNews.
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